I am such an idiot.
I rounded on Declan. “You’re being a jerk because he hit on me back before we were mated!” I accused.
Declan’s face was an expressionless mask. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He tried to brush past me but I planted myself right in front of him.
Oh, he thought he was funny.
“Is it because he brought me food?” It’d only been once and he hadn’t been the only one to do it so I didn’t know what the big deal was.
“You’re my mate.” As if that answered everything. “Only I get the pleasure of feeding you.”
“You’re jealous,” I needled.
Declan harrumphed, “I’m above such childish emotions.”
Sure he was.
I snickered under my breath. “You do realize you’re the one who suggested the men in your Pack pursue me. He only hit on me because you—his Alpha—wanted him to.”
When shifters courted a woman, they’d try to prove that they could provide for her by bringing her food, ensuring she had a comfortable shelter, all very primitive stuff.
When I’d first come to the Pack, Declan had decided I was an asset he’d wanted a firm grip on, and what better way to ensure my interests aligned with his than for me to date one of the men in the Pack?
But boy had that backfired because shortly after, he’d decided to take matters into his own hands and mate-claim me himself.
“The why doesn’t matter,” he countered.
“Oh, it absolutely does. You can’t be mad now. He did nothing wrong.”
“I can be whatever I want to be. I’m the Alpha.” Gold flecks filled his emerald gaze.
I rolled my eyes. I’d have to remember to smooth things over with Jonah at some point and reassure him he was safe. I didn’t need the men in the Pack fearing for their lives because of me.
“Whatever you say, Alpha.”
I bowed when we reached the bottom of the stairs.
“What are you doing?”
“I was bowing. You’re doing your whole ‘I am Alpha, hear me roar’ bit. I felt it was appropriate.”
He didn’t seem to get the joke.
“Would it be better if I rolled over on the floor and showed you my belly instead? I’d be happy to accommodate you.” I gave him my sweetest smile and even fluttered my eyelashes a bit.
He glowered.
I snickered. It wasn’t my fault he didn’t have a sense of humor.
“Well, alright then. I’m off to get my pancakes!” I sprinted for the door laughing at his chagrined expression.
6
I’d just loaded my plate with four deliciously, golden fluffy rounds of heaven when Dia grabbed me by the arm and steered me toward the exit.
“Hey!”
“You can eat later. We have work to do.”
She took my plate from my hands and set it on a nearby dining table.
“But—”
“Later.” She dragged me into the hallway and toward the infirmary.
“But pancakes!” I whined. I couldn’t help it. I’d wanted those pancakes so freaking bad I could all but taste them in my mouth.
“Later.”
I twisted in her grip to look over my shoulder spotting a shapeshifter as he scooped up my plate and made off with my pancakes.
“I hate you,” I told her.
She flashed me a smile. “Right back at you.”
I looked over my shoulder again. I’d been so close. I should have just shoved them in my mouth before she could get the plate from me.
There was nothing I could do about it now, so instead, I stared daggers at the back of Dia’s head.
When we were back in the infirmary, she finally let go of my arm and closed the door behind us. A few short seconds later, Declan walked in with a plate in his hands.
“Pancakes?” I asked, hope blossoming in my chest.
He chuckled and handed me a plate with a lone pancake on it slathered in butter and maple syrup. My mouth watered.
“Last one.”
I greedily accepted his offering and started hacking off pieces with a fork and shoving them into my mouth before Dia could take the plate away from me.
“I have a few Pack meetings to attend this morning. Do you need—”
“She’ll survive without you.”
Declan leveled Dia with his Alpha stare. Clearly, she didn’t get the memo of what that meant because she wasn’t shaking in her boots. Instead, she had an annoyed expression stamped on her face and she actually tried to reach for my plate.
I stabbed at her with my fork.
“If you touch my pancakes again, I will cut you.”
My words must have gotten through to her because she huffed and went to sit at the foot of Inarus’ bed.
Guilt whispered through me. I looked toward Inarus’ prone form. I’d never been a fan of pancakes, not until he’d made them for me. He’d saved my life and taken me back to his place. After cleaning me up, he’d tucked me into bed, and in the morning, he’d made me pancakes.
Why was that memory surfacing all of a sudden?
I ate the last piece of pancake and then set the plate aside. “Thank you,” I said to Declan, and meant it. I hadn’t realized just how hungry I was until that first bite. My stomach rumbled regardless of having been fed and I remembered I’d skipped dinner the night before. One pancake wasn’t going to cut it, but suddenly I didn’t want any more of them.
Enjoying them almost felt like a betrayal to my mate.
I shoved my feelings away.
“I’ll be fine. I’ll either talk sense into him or I won’t.” I shrugged my shoulders. “If he wants to be a child, that’s his prerogative. He can heal the good old-fashioned way and his body will wake up when it’s ready if he doesn’t want to give me the last anchor.” Even as I voiced the words, I knew I wouldn’t leave him like that. I couldn’t.
A smile curved Declan’s lips.
